Sewing-machine needle-guard.



P. L. BIONDO.

SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED AuG.15, 1916.

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PHILIP LEVOLOGGI BIONDO, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 f CHARLES CIRABOLO, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SEWING-MACHINE NEEDLE-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 27,1917.

Application filed August 15, 1916. Serial N o. 114,961.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that LPHILIP LnvoLocer BIoNDo, a subject of the King of ltaly, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Sewing-Machine Needle- Guard, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to sewing machines and has particular reference to means for preventing the operator from injury from the needle while the machine is in operation.

Among the objects of the invention, therefore, is to provide a sewing machine having a vertically reciprocating needle and an associated presser foot, with a guard connected to and carried by the presser foot and presser foot bar to prevent the lingers of the operator from accidentally getting beneath the needle.

Another obj ect of the invention is to provide supporting means for a needle guard of such a nature that the guard may be swung freely out of the way to give access to the needle either for setting the needle or threading it.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view indicating my improved needle guard in operative position;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation looking toward the left in Fig. 2, the guard finger being indicated as swung upwardly in dotted lines; an Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the presser foot bar and indicating the presser foot and guard devices in plan, the needle being omitted.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 1 show portions of a conventional the presser foot.

sewing machine including a throat plate 10, head 11, needle bar 12, needle 13, presser foot 14, and presser foot bar 15. The presser foot is detachably connected to the bar 15 by a screw 16, as is customary.

My improved guard, though of an elective nature, is comparatively simple in construction and comprises an angularly formed frame 17 carried at its rear portion by a bracket 18 secured to the presser foot bar by means of the screw 16. Said bracket includes a bearing 19 disposed on the side of the bar 15 remote from the screw or what may be termed the inside of the bar. The frame includes a trunnon 20 projecting downwardly into the bearing 19 and providing for the swinging of the frame laterally around the vertical axis of the bearing, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, to give free access to the needle for any purpose.

The front lower portion of the frame, farthest from the trunnion 20, comprises a horizontal projection 21 adapted to be pro jected into the keeper 22 secured rmly by any suitable means tothe toe portion 14 of rJhe projection 21 has frictional Contact or engagement with the keeper `and remains reliably in place, as shown in full lines in the drawings, when the guard devices are swung around into idle position. The parts of the frame 17 between the trunnion 20 and projection 21 may be of any suitable form or disposed so as to give a maximum guarding effect with ample clearance for the needle and thread. I wish to point out in this connection, however, that these intermediate portions include a horizontal bar 23 at the front portion of the frame, the axis of which is transverse to the direction of movement of the goods beneath the presser foot, and adjacent one end of the bar 23 there is formed a substantially vertical continuation of the frame constituting a guide leg 24 which, as seen in front elevation, is directly in front of the needle and thereby this guide leg serves instead ofthe needle as an indicator in aiding the operator to guide her work properly to the needle. 1n other words, the member 24 being positioned closer to the operator than the needle and being of a except practically stationary nature compared with the needle, serves better as a guide for the work than does the needle. Fundamentally, of course, the leg 24 constitutes the main support for the front portion ofthe frame and in itself is the main guard preventing the fingers of the operator from coming beneath the needle.

The secondary guard comprises a body 25 swung upon the horizontal bar 23, and is provided with an integral guard finger 26 projecting downwardly at the right of the leg 24 and substantially parallel thereto. At the opposite end of the body 25 is formed an extension 27 which serves two important functions, namely, first as a guard for the left side of the needle and secondly, as a connection for a keeper 28 slidable upwardly along the leg 24 and having a flexible loopv or hook at its upper end. 'Ihe keeper 28 hangs closely to the leg 24 and thereby holds the finger 26 in guarding position. The operator, however, may swing the finger and its body 25 forwardly and upwardly around the axis of the bar 23 for the purpose of giving a fair degree of access to the needle or other purposes and the keeper being of a iiexible nature, made of spring metal, will hold the finger elevated, as shown in Fig. 8 in dotted lines, until it is returned again to its proper position by the operator. When, however, the entire frame 17 is swung around the axis of the trunnion 20, the auxiliary guard 26, being swung entirely upon the frame, follows the frame irrespective of the position of the finger at that particular time.

I claim:

1. The combination with a sewing machine presser foot, presser foot bar and screw for securing the foot to the bar, of a needle guard comprising a bracket secured in place by said screw and Vhaving a vertically disposed bearing on the opposite side of the bar from the screw, said needle guard including also guard devices journaled to swing laterally around the vertical axis of the bearing aforesaid, and means to connect the front portion of the devices to the front portion of the presser foot.

2. The combination with a sewing machine presser foot, a presser foot bar, means to secure the presser foot to the bar and a needle coperating with the presser foot, of a needle guard including a straight leg portion arranged directly in front lof the needleand serving as an indicator to the operator of the machine, and independent means c0- operating with the opposite ends of the guard to secure the same respectively to the presser foot bar and the toe of the foot.

3. The combination with a presser foot, supporting means for the presser foot and a vertical needle coperating with the presser foot, of a needle guard comprising a vertical leg portion arranged directly in front of and parallel to the needle, a projection extending laterally from the lower end of said leg portion, a keeper carried by the toe of the presser foot to receive and hold said projection, a trunnion formed at the opposite end of the needle guard and having a vertical axis, and means constituting a bearing for said trunnion and supported by the foot supporting means, said bearing providing for the swinging of the guard laterally away from the presser foot, substantially as set forth.

4f. In a needle guard for sewing machines, the combination of a frame having an intermediate horizontal bar portion and a vertical leg portion extending downwardly from one end of the bar and constituting a primary guard, a secondary guard mounted upon said bar and having a finger extending downwardly from one end of the bar and spaced from the primary guard, said secondary guard being movable forwardly and upwardly around the axis of the bar, and means carried by the primary guard to hold the secondary guard in elevated position.

5. In a needle guard for sewing machines, the combination of a frame, means coperating with the opposite ends of the frame to hold the same in operative position, the intermediate portion of the frame comprising a horizontal bar and a portion adjacent to the bar constituting a vertical primary guard, a secondary guard journaled upon the bar, said secondary guard comprising a linger extending downwardly from one end of the bar in spaced relation to the primary guard and also including a guard extension opposite the other end of the bar, and means acting between the primary guard and said guard extension to control the position of the secondary guard.

6. In a sewing machine needle guard, the combination of an angularly formed frame having at one end a vertical trunnion and at its other end a horizontal projection, and holding means coperating respectively with said ends of the frame independently of each other providing support for the frame and for the swinging of the frame around said trunnion when the other end is released from its support.

7 The combination with a sewing machine presser foot, of a needle guard coperating therewith, said needle guard comprising a frame, means to connect the front part of the frame to the front part of the presser foot, means to support the rear portion of the frame providing for the swinging thereof away from the point of attachment at the front of the foot, and an auxiliary guard mounted upon the frame and adapted to swing around its point of support in a different direction from that in which the frame is mounted to swing.

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8. The combination with a sewing machine constituting a guide for the operator of the needle, means to support the needle, a presser machine and means to secure the needle foot and means to support the presser foot, guard in position providing for the move- 10 of a needle guard comprising a substantially ment thereof laterally to give free access to 5 vertical relatively stationary leg disposed the needle.

directly in front of the needle and in the same vertical plane thereof, said leg thereby PHILP LEVOLOGGI BIONDO.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente. Washington, D. C. 

